This navy blue ensemble comprises of a jacket with elliptical pockets and a large gilt circle buckle, and a matching A-line skirt. Designer Pierre Cardin was born in 1922 near Venice in Italy but was of French parentage. His parents relocated to the Loire region of France in 1926, where Cardin spent his growing years. At the age of 17, he left home and apprenticed with a tailor in Vichy. Following the end of the Second World War in 1945, Cardin found work at the established fashion houses of Paquin and Schiaparelli in Paris. He became acquainted with painter and set designer Christian Berard and ended up designing the costumes for Jean Cocteau’s staging of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 1947. With the support of Christian Dior, Cardin opened his own costume tailoring business in 1949 and subsequently shifted to couture design. His women’s collection made its debut in 1957. Known for designing pieces that were characterised by bold structures and irregular forms, he introduced the balloon dress in the late 1950s, geometrically blocked shifts in the 1960s and hooped dresses in the 1980s. A savvy entrepreneur, Cardin diversified from his fashion line and grew a business empire consisting of a wide range of merchandises bearing his name.
